Unleash Your Best Skin With Women’s Concepts, The Website Where Science Meets Skincare In An Engaging And Cutting-Edge Fashion
Founded by Ana Vasilescu in 2019, Women’s Concepts is an online platform that provides researched-based and educational content on all things surrounding skincare. In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to get lost in the sea of information, but Ana comes with a new angle of a digital destination where science meets skincare in a cutting-edge and engaging fashion that everyone can understand. With her mission to educate and empower people to take charge of their skincare journey, Ana created Women’s Concepts to provide up-to-date and accurate information and insights from dermatologists and other experts in the field.
Now a few words from Ana.
The story behind Women’s Concepts
In my teenage years, I struggled with acne and faced all the nasty jokes and low self-esteem that usually come with it. Little I knew then that this would ultimately turn into a thriving business.
So back to my story. All my visits to dermatologists ended up with drying solutions and treatments that did not improve my condition. Surprisingly, none of them talked to me about the importance of having a diligent skincare routine but just prescribed me medication that I really didn’t need. Given the unwillingness of dermatologists to listen to my problems, I took matters into my own hands and jumped into a mission to educate myself and find answers to what I needed on the internet. One with the other, I started absorbing every bit of information, and before I knew, I became a skincare obsessed keen to convince others about the importance of a diligent and targeted routine.
Day in day out, I read about ingredients, researched products, and compared different formulas just to realize that there’s a huge gap in the beauty world and how blogs approach content creation. The more I learned, the more disappointed I became with the state of the skincare industry. Everywhere I turned, all I found were websites repeating what was said on another blog and so on, with a lot of incomplete and misleading information. So my first thought was: “Can I do better than that? Is this an opportunity to turn my passion into something that will help others in my situation?”
It was indeed a chance, and I’m proud I took it.
The first two years of my journey, the most difficult ones
It all began with a fire in my belly to share my struggles with adult acne and offer a helping hand to those on a similar journey. So I took the bull by the horns and started blogging about it. My knight in shining armor, aka my boyfriend, stepped in and used his tech-savvy skills to create a website from the ground up. He made sure the user interface was top-notch and ensured our readers had the best possible experience.
At the time, I was juggling a demanding corporate job where I was responsible for a 12-people team and my passion project, Women’s Concepts. Every evening after work, I’d pour my heart and soul into writing about all things adult acne-related. It was only a short time before I started seeing a steady income from my blog, which only grew over time. However, after a year and a half of hustling both my full-time job and my blog, I felt burnt out and knew it was time to make a big change.
So, I took the leap and quit my job. My partner and I both left our jobs to focus on growing Women’s Concepts into a go-to destination for anyone looking to fix their skin issues as they arise. And here we are.
Over the past four years, we’ve been dedicated to providing educational and informative content on all things skincare to empower people to take control of their skin and feel more confident. To become a leader in the industry and a trustworthy voice for people, I pursued further education, consulted with dermatologists, got more serious about dermatological research, and even earned accreditation as an IAO and CPD-accredited skincare consultant. At the moment, I individually helped more than 5000 people worldwide to build their skincare routine and more than 1000 daily through Women’s Concepts. Every day we focus on one mission: to be a source of guidance and support for everyone on the journey to better skin and provide the best product recommendations.
Endless challenges and opportunities
Stepping into the beauty industry, I soon realized I was up against many big names, facing tough competition from established companies with vast resources. But I learned quickly that becoming a trusted voice in the skincare world takes a lot of elbow grease and a fair bit of sugar to sweeten the pot. The road ahead was uncertain, but I was determined to make a name for myself and Women’s Concepts in the vast beauty world.
Being in an ever-evolving industry requires hours of research and testing just to stay ahead of the curve. It’s a never-ending battle to keep up with the latest products and clinical studies, especially when something new pops up almost every day, literally. And our work wasn’t all about creating content on Women’s Concepts. We also focused on having a presence on social media, ensuring the website is technically functional and has a friendly user interface, editing outdated content, posting videos, testing, and hand-testing countless products. And we did all of that in two people.
It sounds tough, and it was, actually, but the hard work and late nights were all worth it. And I’m not talking about money, but the feelings I got from knowing I built something from scratch, and people are following and trusting me. Making Women’s Concepts from the ground up was a true labor of love, and the feeling of seeing it succeed is priceless.
Commission cuts can be a real thorn in the side of affiliates as well, and they can come at any moment. During the pandemic, our main source of income took a major hit with a reduction to nearly half the commission rate. This is a major challenge for us, as brands may opt to lower their rates at any given time, potentially crippling our affiliates’ earnings.
But despite all the challenges we have faced so far, we never gave up, and now I can proudly say I’m more confident in Women’s Concepts than ever before. Now, we have a full-fledged team of writers to support our content creation efforts. And because we know expert insights are something very valuable in our niche, we also gathered dermatologists from all over the globe and convinced them to join our medical review board to help us validate our articles and get their expertise.
Our sights are now set on the opportunities ahead, such as the ongoing growth of the industry and the growing global interest in skincare.
Advice to others
As cliche as it may sound, the most important piece of advice I’ve ever been giving people about business is that they have to believe in their dream when no one else will. But believing is not enough. Building a business requires perseverance, autodidacticism, discipline, and mental strength. It takes savvy decisions, a good strategy, and ongoing learning. Also, building a network and developing relationships are crucial in the business world. You can achieve great things on your own, but the possibilities are limited, so being open to collaboration flares up new growth opportunities.
And, as the business landscape is ever-changing, the ability to adapt is key. Starting a business is not without challenges and setbacks, but a well-crafted plan, an understanding of the market and competition, and the ability to identify opportunities and challenges will help to guide you through the process. It is a lot of trial-and-error, especially when you plunge in with few resources like knowledge, time, and money. Still, you must hold on, even in times you feel like you’re grasping at straws. Find a reason to be hopeful in a bad situation and learn from mistakes. Attitude is all; the difference between someone successful and someone who gave up is that the successful person did not take problems as stop signs, but as guidelines. So what if most of your friends or family don’t support you? Don’t allow their insecurities to hold you back. Never.
- Intrusive Thoughts: Why We Have Them and How to Stop Them - April 19, 2024
- 6 Benefits of Oil Pulling — Plus How to Do It - April 19, 2024
- Revolutionizing the Brand Building Landscape, The SearchEye Way - June 10, 2023
